New Delhi: Vedanta Group has announced that the biomass manufacturing facility set up by its energy arm, Talwandi Sabo Power Ltd (TSPL), has played a major role in reducing stubble burning incidents in Mansa, Punjab. The company said its efforts have contributed to a consistent fall in farm fires over the past three years.
TSPL, which operates a 1,980 MW supercritical thermal power plant in Mansa, established a 500-tonne-per-day biomass manufacturing unit to produce high-density, carbon-neutral biofuels. Since the plant cannot use conventional biomass, the facility was designed to convert locally sourced agricultural residue, mainly paddy straw, into torrefied bio-pellets. Vedanta said the initiative has created an assured buy-back market for farmers and supported the development of a local stubble-to-biofuel ecosystem.
According to data shared by the district administration, farm fire cases in Mansa have dropped from 2,253 in 2023 to 618 in 2024, and further to 306 in 2025. This reflects an 87 per cent reduction in two years and a 50.5 per cent decline in one year. Out of 244 villages, 104 reported zero farm fires in 2025. Earlier hotspots such as Heron Kalan and Dodra, which recorded 45 and 31 incidents in 2023, have both reported zero cases this year.
Vedanta said TSPL worked closely with partners to establish Punjab’s largest torrefied bio-pellet facility near the plant, ensuring uninterrupted supply for power generation. The company noted that this has enabled large-scale utilisation of paddy straw while helping address winter air-quality concerns.
“Managing paddy stubble effectively is central to improving Punjab’s air quality. By working closely with farmers in neighbouring villages and our partners across the stubble-to-biofuel value chain, TSPL has created assured economic incentives for farmers and contributed to an 87 per cent reduction in farm fires in Mansa over the past two years,” Rajinder Singh Ahuja, CEO-Power, Vedanta Ltd, said.
BI Bureau
